86 WITH HARD CHEEKS. 



of the west, one or two instances only having occurred to 

 him on the south coast of Devon ; and Mr. Neill has re- 

 corded its capture in the Forth. It is not, however, un- 

 common along the line of our southern coast, where it is well 

 known ; and the young of small size are frequently taken by 

 the shrimpers in most of the sandy bays at the mouth of the 

 Thames, and of other rivers : on the eastern coast it is very 

 plentiful. It seldom exceeds six inches in length ; its food 

 is aquatic insects, and small crustaceous animals : it spawns in 

 May, depositing the ova among stones, and its flesh is said to 

 be firm and good. 



D. 5 7 : P. 15 : V. 1 + 2 : A. 7 : C. 11. 



The head is depressed, and wider than the body ; from the 

 edge of each operculum the body tapers gradually to the tail ; 

 the nose has three recurved spines ; the chin furnished with 

 several minute cirri ; the eyes placed nearly vertical, irides 

 yellow, pupils black : the mouth small ; teeth also small, but 

 numerous : the suborbital bone and preoperculum each ending 

 in a spine ; operculum surmounted by a spine, and an occi- 

 pital tubercle on each side ; a scapulary tubercle over the 

 origin of each pectoral fin. The body divided longitudinally 

 by eight scaly ridges, of which those on the upper part of the 

 body are the most produced. The whole body defended by 

 eight rows of strong scaly plates, of which the elevated ridges 

 form the central lines ; the lateral line straight, lying parallel 

 between the two ridges on the side. Two dorsal fins slightly 

 connected by a membrane, of a light brown colour mottled 

 with dark brown ; pectoral fins large, with a broad bar of 

 brown across the centre ; the general colour of the upper 

 surface of the body brown, with four broad dark brown bands ; 

 tail brown ; under surface of the body flattened ; ventral and 

 anal fins, and all the under parts of the head and body, very 

 light brown, almost white. The vent placed very forward, 

 on a line with the middle of the pectoral fin. 



